TURN SEQUENCE CHART FINDING THE ATTACK NUMBER DAMAGE CHART

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2 TURN SEQUENCE CHART I: Make a Wandering Monster Check-roll I d6. On a roll of 1-5. no monster appears. Go on to Step 2. On a roll of 6. choose a monster from the list of possible wandering monsters at the beginning of the adventure. Go directly to Step 3. 2: Allow the heroes to explore. Make Ability Checks when hero actions call for them. If no monster is encountered. the turn is over. Go back to Step I. If a monster is encountered. stop all actions and go immediately to Step 3. 3: Place monster stand-up figures on the game board. Show the picture on the monster card to the players. but keep the information side to yourself. Go on to Step 4. 4: Check for surprise-om"' and one player roll I d6. If the DM rolls a I or 2. the monsters are surprised. Go directly to Step 6. If the player rolls a I or 2. the heroes are surprised. Go to Step 5. If both sides are surprised. pretend that a turn has gone by and go on to Step 5. 5: Check monster reactions. Roll on the Monster Reaction Chart unless the adventure says that the monsters will or will not automatically attack. If the monsters help, go to Step 6. If the monsters wait, go to Step 6. If the monsters attack. go directly to Step 7. 6: Check hero reactions. If the heroes decide to wait and the DM rolled help on the Monster Reaction Chart, then the monsters join the party and the turn ends. Go back to Step I. If both sides wait. then a turn goes by and nothing happens. Go back to Step 5. If the heroes attack. then go on to Step 7. 7: Roll for initiative-all players. Including the DM. roll Id I 0. The DM rolls only once (all monsters move at the same time). Heroes with Dexterity adjustments add (or subtract) the adjustment number to (from) their initiative roll. See the AbllJty Ad Justments Tuble. 8: Combat begins. The player with the highest initiative number moves first (and attacks if he can). working down to the player with the lowest number. who moves last. If a player chooses to make an attack roll. see the Finding the Attack Number Chart. If an attack succeeds. see the Damage Chart. When every hero and monster has taken an action. go back to Step 7. If the heroes decide to run away during battle. roll on the Monster Reaction Thble: -If an attack result comes up. the monsters give chase. Check the monsters' and the heroes' Move numbers. If all the heroes have larger Move numbers than the monsters. they escape. The turn then ends-go back to Step I. If any of the heroes' Move numbers is equal to or Jess than the monsters'. escape is not possible and the battle continues. Go back to Step 7. -If either a wait or a help result comes up. the monsters let the heroes go and the turn ends. Go back to Step I. If the heroes lose the battle. then the adventure is over. If the heroes win the battle. go to Step 9. 9: Allow the heroes to regroup. Heroes may bandage dying heroes and heal injured ones. Heroes may search the slain monsters' bodies for treasure. When the group is ready to continue on. go to Step I 0. I 0: Continue the Adventure. Ask the heroes if they want to further explore the room they are in or move on to the next. then go back to Step I and begin the next turn. FINDING THE ATTACK NUMBER I: Find the attacker's fighting score. 2: Subtract the defender's Armor Class from the attacker's fighting score. The result is the attack number. 3: Make the attack roll-roll I d20. 4: Add (or subtract) any Abllity adjustments (see the AbllJty Ad Justments Thble-use it for all Abilities): -In close combat. Strength adjustments are added to (or subtracted from) the attack roll. -In ranged combat. Dexterity adjustments are added to (or subtracted from) the attack roll. 5: Add any adjustments for magical weapons to the attack roll. 6: If the final total of the attack roll is less than the attack number. then the attack misses. If the final total of the attack roll is equal to or greater than the attack number. then the attack succeeds-proceed to the Damage Chart. DAMAGE CHART I: Check the Damage line on the monster card if the attacker was a monster. 2: Check the Weapons Chart for the appropriate weapon damage if the attacker was a hero. 3: Roll the appropriate die for damage. 4: Add (or subtract) any Ablllty adjustments: -In close combat, Strength adjustments are added to (or subtracted from) the damage roll. -In ranged combat. Dexterity adjustments are added to (or subtracted from) the damage roll. 5: Add any adjustments for magical weapons to the damage roll. 6: Subtract the final total from the defender's hit point total.

3 The Adventure Begins!... 3 Introduction The Game Components The Rule Book The Adventure Book The Game Board The Stand-ups... 5 The Dice Hero Cards Monster Cards Spell Cards I I Trap Cards I I Special Items Cards I I Equipment Cards I I Treasure Cards I I The DM Screen I I Alignments I 3 The Heroes Fighters Rogues Wizards Clerics Elves Dwarves Halflings I 7 DRAGON QUEST ADVENTURE GAME Tuble of Contents Getting the Heroes Ready I 7 Picking Spells I 7 Picking Equipment I 7 Setting Up the Game Picking a DUNGEON MASTER"' Picking a Hero Laying Out the Board Setting the Stage Starting the Game Adventuring I. The Wandering Monster Check What's In Here? (Exploring) Monsters! Checking For Surprise Friend or Foe? Hero Reactions Rolling For Initiative Ready For Combat? After the Battle Onward. Heroes! Moving Up in the World Being a Good OM"' Being a Good Player INDEX Character Sheet Credits Design by Wllllam W. Connors & David Wise Editing by David Wise Project Coordination by Bruce Heard Box Cover Art by Jeff Easley Interior Art by Brom, Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Fred Fields. Carol Heyer, Roger Loveless. and Keith Parkinson Map Art by Robin Raab and Diesel Stand-up Art by Robin Raab Graphic Design by Tum Lavely Typesetting by Gaye O'Keefe Production by Sarah Feggestad, Paul Hanchette, and Dee Barnett Design Review by Stephanie Lynn Wise. Bruce Heard, Rick Behling, and Bruce Nesmith Playtesting by Rich Baker, Bruce Heard. Slade Henson, and Thomas Reid Special Thanks to James M. Ward (who thinks he hired me) and Karen Boomgarden (who really did). You 're both good friends and great to work with. Dedicated to the folks at TSR Limited in the United Kingdom, who know how to put on a great convention! DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and D&D are registered trademarks owned by TSR. Inc. DRAGON QUEST. DUNGEON MASTER. OM and the TSR logo are a trademarks owned by TSR. Inc. Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights In the book trade for English language products of TSR. Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. This product is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR. Inc. c 1992 TSR. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN <> TSR. Inc. POB 756 Lake Geneva. Wisconsin U.S.A. TSR Ltd. I 20 Church End Cherry Hinton Cambridge. CBI 3LB United Kingdom

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5 The Adventure Begins! "G/orin is looking closely at the walls and floor of this room." said Colleen. who was playing the tall. slender elf hero. "Okay." replied Bill. the Dungeon Master. "You spot some small stains on the floor. They look like a trail of blood." "Can I tell which way the trail goes?" "Make an Ability Check on Glorin 's Intelligence and we'll see." Colleen checked Glorin 's hero card and rolled the 20-Sided die-a 6 came up. "Made it!" she announced. "The trail leads to a solid stone wall and stops." said Bill. ''I'm going to search for a secret door," said Chris, speaking for his hero, Fenix. the short. bearded dwarf Chris picked up the orange die and rolled it; a 12 came up. "I rolled a 12." he told Bill. "That's just low enough," answered Bill. "There is a door there. but it's stuck and you can't open it." The Dungeon Master turned to the other players. "Dave. what is Dog doing right now?" "He's watching down the hallway. making sure that nobody sneaks up on us," answered Dave, who was playing the little ha/fling hero. Doghin. "What about Aurin?" "Aurin is staying close to Fenix, where he's protected, unless I say he's going somewhere else." said Thomas, who was playing the wizard. "And Dasmius?" asked Bill. Rachel, who was playing the cleric Dasmius. thought a moment before saying, "I think I'm going to cast my remove traps spell on the door, just in case it's been booby trapped by some evil creature." "That's a good idea." everyone agreed. While the players were deciding their next actions. Bill was making a Wandering Monster Check behind the Dungeon Master's screen. "Wait a minute!" he cried. "Dog, you see someone or something coming down the hallway. What are you going to do?" he asked while picking out a monster from the Monster Cards Deck. " Well. first I'm going to warn the party. and then I'm going to hide." "Okay. make an Ability Check on Dog's Dexterity." Dave rolled the orange die and said. "Did it!" "That's fine," replied Bill. "Dog moves back into the shadows and stands so still that no one can see him. Here come those monsters down the hall. It looks like there's six or seven of them. When they get closer, you can see that they're goblins." "Phew!" said Dave. "They stink!" "As long as you stay in the shadows. their smell is all you'll have to put up with," teased Colleen. ''J'm moving to attack them." "So is Fenix!" cried Chris. "Let's stand right in front of the doorway so they can't all come into this room. They'll have to fight us one or two at a time that way! " "Dasmius is right behind you," promised Rachel. "Aurin will stay behind the group until he's needed," said Thomas. "Sounds good." said Bill. "Okay. Jet's see who goes first. Everybody make an initiative roll." They all rolled the I 0-Sided die, then the Dungeon Master started the battle. "Anybody go on I O?" he asked. "/ do," said Colleen. "Gforin is going to shoot an arrow at the first goblin." "You can do that since your initiative roll was so good. but then you'll have to switch to a close combat weapon for the next turn. Make your attack roll! " Colleen made her attack roll. "/ rolled a 14," she announced. "That's good enough to hit your target. Roll for damage." Colleen rolled and said, "/ hit it for 5 points of damage.'' "He falls over!" Bill told him. "Nice shooting. Glorin," everybody said. "Okay." said Bill. "Who rolled a 9 on their initiative roll ?" "I rolled a 7," said Chris. "Fenix is going to swing his battle axe at the closest goblin." "Make your attack roll." "Darn! I rolled a 2!" "That's not good enough," said the Dungeon Master. "You missed. The monsters' initiative roll was 6, so they swing now. Only two of them can get to you because you 're blocking the door." Bill rolled twice behind the Dungeon Master's screen and then said, "Glorin, one of the goblins swings at you with a rusty old short sword and barely misses your head! Fenix, the other goblin hits you!" Bill rolled again behind the screen and told Chris, "Fenix. you've been hit for 4 points of damage. Mark that on a sheet of paper. You've only got 5 hit points left, now." "Ouch!" cried Chris. ''There are more goblins showing up in the hallway. all snarling and trying to get to you.!" Dave said, "Fenix. let me take your place at the front. Dasmius can throw her cure spell on you." "Thanks! " said Chris. "Fenix is letting Dog step in front of him. okay Bill?" "Okay. but Dog won't be able to swing this turn." "Aurin goes on 5," said Thomas. "Everybody get ready to duck. I'm sending a lightning bolt down the hall. That ought to take care of most of them.... " 3

6 Introduction Welcome to the fun and exciting world of the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game! If you're ready to face the challenge of exploring dark dungeons and battling evil monsters. then pick up your sword or spell book and get ready. The adventure is about to begin! What is the DRAGON QUEST Game? The DRAGON QUEST game can be quickly described in two words: " Let's pretend.'' In a sense. it's that simple. When you play the DRAGON QUEST game. you pretend to be a mighty fighter. a wise cleric. a mysterious wizard. or a crafty rogue. Your hero character can be a human or something more fantastic. like an elf. a dwarf. or a halfling. Your choices make the game work. and the adventure never ends! It might seem like there's an awful lot of rules needed to play the DRAGON QUEST game. but they're very easy to learn and they're mostly based on common sense. After you play a game or two. you'll only need to check this Rule Book once in a while. just to refresh your memory. How Does the Game Work? A DRAGON QUEST game unfolds in much the same way that a movie does. In fact. one of the easiest ways to think of the DRAGON QUEST game is to picture it as a story. One of the players. called the DUNGEON MASTER"' (or the OM"'. for short). is in charge. He knows the story and guides the other players through it. As the story unfolds. the players get to say what their heroes will do at each point. It's a bit like watching a movie where the stars do whatever you tell them to. If you've ever read any Choose Your Own Adventure books or played any heroic video games. you already have a good idea of how to play the DRAGON QUEST game. Those books and video games are simple types of adventure games. When you play the DRAGON QUEST adventure game. you'll meet and defeat the same kinds of evil and nasty creatures that you fight when you play a video game. The big difference is. when you play the DRAGON QUEST game. your choices are almost unlimited! 4

7 The Game Components Many parts make up the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game. Before we play the game. let's take a minute to look over all of the pieces that come with the game. Check and make sure that your box included everything that it was supposed to. You'll need it all to play. The Rule Book The most important part of this game is the Rule Book. You 're holding it in your hands right now. The Rule Book tells you everything you need to know in order play the DRAGON QUEST adventure game. In the back is an index to help you find important rules quickly. The Adventure Book Your game also includes an Adventure Book. This book contains a series of three connected adventures for the heroes to play. It pits the heroes against an evil enemy who is determined to destroy the village that they live in. The Game Board The DRAGON QUEST adventure game also includes a full-color adventure board. Each of the squares on this board is I space. This board shows the dungeons that the heroes will explore. With a few quick changes, the map board can be used for all of the games in the Adventure Book. Each adventure explains how to set up the game board for it. The Stand-ups When playing the game. every hero or monster has a figure that marks its place on the map. The stand-ups are easy to assemble. carefully remove them from the sheets that they come in. Now. fold the two ends down. One of these ends has a tab on it and the other has a slot. Make sure that the slot is opened by giving it a little press with one finger. Next. fold the stand-up over in the middle. Insert the tab into the slot and you're done! There are a lot of stand-ups. but they go together quickly. Since you'll only need a few at a time when playing the game. you can wait to put them together until they're needed. The only ones you'll need to assemble right away are the 9 hero figures. These are the ones with the light blue backgrounds. Store the stand-ups under the cardboard riser to keep them from getting crushed. There are also six 3-D hero figures included in the game. The players can use these little statues instead of the cardboard stand-ups if they like. The Dice Your game also came with a set of special dice. Tuke them out now. and we'll quickly explain them all. These are called polyhedral dice and they may look a bit different from the dice that come in other games. " Polyhedral" (pol-ee-hee-dral) means " many-sided." and that certainly describes these dice. There are seven dice in all. each of a different color. The Green Die Look at the green die. It has four sides and is called a d4. When you roll the d4. it will land with one of its points up. The number on the top is the number you have rolled. The d4 in the picture has rolled a 4. The Red Die Next. pick up the red die. It has six sides and is called a d6. When you roll the d6, it will land with one of its sides facing up. The number on that side is the number you have rolled. The d6 in the picture has rolled a 4. The Blue Die Look at the blue die. It has eight sides and is called a d8. When you roll the d8, it will land with one of its sides up. The number on the top is the number you have rolled. The db in the picture has rolled a 4. The Black and White Dice 1\vo of the dice. the black one and the white one, are the same shape. Tuke a look at one of them. It has ten sides and is called a d JO. When you roll it. the d I 0 will land with one of its sides face up. The number on that side is the number you have rolled. If you roll the d I 0 and a 0 comes up. then you have really rolled a I 0. The d I 0 in the picture has rolled a

8 The DRAGON QUESTTM Adventure Game The Yellow Die Next. pick up the yellow die. It has twelve sides and is called a d 12. When you roll the d I 2. it will land with one of its sides facing up. The number on that side is the number you have rolled. The d 12 in the picture has rolled a 4. The Orange Die The last die that we'll look at has 20 sides and is called a d20. The d20 is probably the most important die in the game and you'll use it more than any other one. To use the d20. roll it and read the number that shows on the top side. The d20 in the picture has rolled a 4. Percentile Dice Sometimes. you'll be told to roll percentile dice, to get a number between I and I 00. To do this. take both the black and the white die (the d I Os) and roll them at the same time. Read the number on the top of the black die first and then the number on the top of the white die. If the black die rolls a 5 and the white die rolls a 7. then the roll is 5 7. If the black die is a 9 and the white die is I. the roll is 91. One thing to remember about percentile dice is that a roll of 00 is read as I 00. Using the Dice In the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game, dice are used when the players want their heroes to do something hard. Let's say that a hero wants to jump across a deep pit. The dice would be used to tell you if he made it or not. When the rules ask you to roll dice. they'll use a short phrase to tell you what kind and how many dice you need. Let's say you need to roll the d6 three times. In the rules. we'd write and say that as 3d6. If you need to roll the d 12 one time. that would be written and spoken as Idl2. Extra Dice Many people find that having extra dice makes the game play a lot faster. For instance. if you need to roll 3d6. it's easier to roll three dice at the same time. Dice like these can be bought at many hobby and game stores. If you can't find them in your local store. you can order them from TSR by calling the Mail Order Hobby Shop at The Cards The cards are divided into several decks. There are cards for heroes, monsters. spells. traps, special items, equipment, and treasure. Before starting to play, the cards should be separated into each of their proper decks. and then each deck should be shuffled. The Dungeon Master can then put them off to the side. where he can reach them when he needs a card. There's no need to let the players look at the decks. If a time comes when a player gets to pick a card. the Dungeon Master can hold out the deck and let the player take a card. The pictures on the cards will tell you what the card on the top of each deck is. so players should always draw a card from the middle or bottom of the deck. not the top. Hero Cards These are the Good Guys. There are 9 cards in the Hero Deck. Each of these is a character that one of the players can use in the game. One of the first things that a player does is select a hero card. This hero is an imaginary person that the player pretends to be during the game. Look at the back of one of the cards and we'll tell you what all the numbers mean. Abilities Every hero in the DRAGON QUEST adventure game has six Ability scores. These tell you how strong. fast. or smart that hero is. The higher the number. the better the hero is in that area. These numbers range from 3 (the worst) to 18 (the best). After the Ability score. ~ there is a number in parentheses. This number is called the Ability adjustment. During play, these numbers are added to some die rolls. If the number is positive ( + I. +2. or +3). then it is a bonus. If the number is negative (-I or - 3). then it is a penalty. Heroes with high Ability scores Ability Adjustments Ability Score Ability Adjustment ] 0 +I have better adjustments. The adventures will tell you when to use these adjustments. All of the heroes have their Ability adjustments printed on their cards. If a hero's Ability scores change. the player can determine the new Ability adjustments with the Ability Adjustments Tuble. The Ability scores are also important when heroes want to do something hard. The Dungeon Master decides which Ability the hero is using and then tells the 6

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10 The DRAGON QUESTTll Adventure Game player to make an Ability Check (see page 20). A hero who wants to climb a steep wall would make a check on his Dexterity while a hero who wants to jump across a ravine would make the check on his Strength. To make an Ability Check, a player rolls a d20 and then checks to see if the related Ability score is higher or lower than the number rolled. If the Ability score is higher, then the hero succeeded in the action he was attempting. Strength (STR) This Ability tells you how strong your hero is. Characters who are very strong do well in combat. so they make good fighters. Intelligence (INT) This Ability tells you how smart your hero is. Characters who have a high Intelligence score make good wizards. Wisdom (WIS) Wisdom is a measure of common sense. A hero can be very smart, but still not be wise. A good way to remember the difference between Intelligence and Wisdom is with this example: an intelligent person knows that fighting a dragon when unprepared is dangerous, but a wise person would never try it. Dexterity (DEX) This Ability measures two things. First. it tells you how quick your character is. Second, it tells you how good he is at doing fine work with his hands. Constitution (CON) This is used to measure how healthy a character is. The higher his Constitution score. the more injuries he can take before he is knocked out or killed. Charisma (CHA) The last Ability is Charisma. This is a rating of the hero's personality. A character with a high score in Charisma is well liked and respected. He is a good leader. Armor Class Armor Class is a quick way to tell how well protected a hero is. thanks to his armor and his reflexes. The lower a hero's Armor Class is. the better. That may seem strange at first. but you'll see how it works once you fight a few battles. See Fighting, in the next column, for more details. There are three ways to improve a hero's Armor Class. The first way is to wear armor. Heavier armor provides more protection. Plate mail gives you a better (lower) Armor Class than leather or chain mail armor. The second way to lower your Armor Class is to carry a shield. A shield lowers your Armor Class by I. Any hero who owns a shield has two Armor Class ratings marked on his card. The second one. which is in parentheses, is the hero's Armor Class when he uses his shield. The third way to lower your Armor Class is to have an excellent Dexterity score. If a hero gets a bonus due to his Dexterity, that same bonus is subtracted from his Armor Class. All of the Armor Class ratings on the hero cards have already been adjusted for Dexterity, so there's no need to figure that in. If your hero's Dexterity changes. though. be sure to check the Ability Adjustments Tuble (page 6) for any changes. Hit Points This is a measure of how much damage a hero can take before he falls over. Whenever a monster hits a hero and rolls for damage. that number is subtracted from the hero's hit point score. When the hero reaches 0 or less hit points. he falls unconscious. If none of his friends can rescue him before everybody has had three turns, then he dies. If one of the fallen hero's friends can get to him before the three turns have gone by, the friend can bandage his wounds. This puts the injured hero at 0 hit points right away, saving his life. However, the injured hero remains unconscious until someone casts a cure spell on him. Fighting The Fighting score tells what you need to roll on I d20 in order for a hero to hit a monster, but you have to make a quick adjustment first. When a hero attacks a monster, the Dungeon Master checks to see what the monster's Armor Class is. Then the Dungeon Master subtracts that Armor Class number from the hero's Fighting score. The result is the number the hero needs to roll in order to hit that monster. It is called the attack number. The roll of the d20 in order to hit a monster is called the attack roll. As an example. let's say that a hero whose Fighting score is 19 swings his sword at a bugbear. The bugbear's Armor Class is 5. so the attack number for the hero would be ( 19 5) 14. If the hero rolls 14 or higher on I d20, then he has hit the bugbear. Move This number simply tells you how many spaces a hero can move in any direction on the game board in one turn. If a hero can reach a space next to a monster in his turn, he can attack that monster in the same turn. A hero cannot stand in the same space as another hero or a monster, but he can move through and past that space. 8

11 Monster Cards Although some monsters are good. these are mostly the Bad Guys. There are 50 cards in the Monster Deck. Each of them is a monster that the heroes might have to fight. Monster cards are different from hero cards. They are set up so that the Dungeon Master can easily use them in combat. Each card has a picture of the monster on the front. The Dungeon Master can show this picture to the players so they can see what they are fighting. The back of the card tells you a little about the monster. and it gives you an idea of how the monster likes to fight and where it lives. You can find all the important combat information on the card backs. Let's go over that information now. Fighting The Fighting score tells what you need to roll on I d20 in order for the monster to hit a hero. but you have to make a quick adjustment first. When the monster attacks a hero. the Dungeon Master asks the hero what his Armor Class is. Then the Dungeon Master subtracts that Armor Class number from the monster's Fighting score. The result is the number the monster needs to hit that hero. It is called the attack number. The roll of the d20 in order to hit a hero is called the attack rou. For example. if a goblin (whose Fighting score is 19) attacks a hero whose Armor Class is 7. then the number that the goblin needs to roll is ( 19 7) I 2. If the Dungeon Master. rolling for the goblin. rolls a I 2 or higher on I d20. then the goblin has hit the hero. Attacks This line tells you what kind of weapon the monster fights with and how many attacks the monster gets in a turn. For example. the goblin gets one swing with a sword in a turn, but the smilodon can claw with two paws and then bite. Damage This tells you how much damage the monster causes if it hits. If a monster gets more than one attack in a turn, then the damage is listed on the card in the same order as the attacks. For example. the smilodon's attacks are listed as 2 claws/i bite and the damage is listed as 1 d8/ I d8/2d8. Each I d8 is the damage caused by a claw and the 2d8 is the damage caused by a bite. Armor Class This number is a measure of how tough the hide of the monster is. While heroes can put on armor to improve their Armor Class, monsters have natural armor and agility. This number is subtracted from a hero's fighting number to see what the player needs to roll on I d20 in order to hit that monster. Hit Points Whenever a hero hits a monster. the damage caused by the hero's weapon is subtracted from this number. When the monster's hit points reach 0 or less. the monster falls over and dies. Alignment Most monsters are evil. but many are neutral and some are even good. If the Dungeon Master isn 't sure how a monster will react to meeting heroes. he can check the monster's alignment and roll on the Monster Reaction Tuble (page 22) to see what happens. Move This line tells you how many spaces the monster can move in any direction on the game board in one turn. Some monsters can also fly. swim. or burrow under the earth. Those monsters have two movement rates. The first one is always the movement rate of the monster on the ground. A monster cannot stand in the same space as another monster or a hero. but it can move through and past that space. 9

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13 Spell Cards There are two kinds of spell cards: 16 wizard spells and 16 cleric spells. These represent the powerful magical skills of some heroes. Only wizard. cleric. and elf heroes use magical spells in the game. Some powerful monsters use spells too. The spell cards are easy to read. Tuke a look at one of them now and we'll quickly explain a few things. Type This line tells you who can cast the spell. Wizards and elves can cast one kind of magic while clerics can cast another. Range There are three types of spell range used in the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game. The first type is touch. Spells with a touch range require the spellcaster to be in the next square and make actual contact with the hero or monster that the spell is directed at. If a hero or monster is in combat while the spellcaster is trying to touch him. then the caster must make an attack rou in order to throw the spell (because the spell receiver isn 't standing still). The second type of spell range is room. When a spell of this range is cast. the results are felt in the entire room. Sometimes the spell only works on certain heroes or monsters in the room. The spell card will say so if that is the case. The third type of spell range is numbered. When a spell has a numbered range. the spellcaster can throw the spell in any space up to the listed number away. For example. if a spell has a range of 6. then it can be directed 6 spaces or less in any direction. Trap Cards There are I 0 cards in the Trap Deck. These are all sorts of nasty devices that careless and unlucky heroes may stumble across. Each card tells you which Ability score to make an Ability Check (see page 20) on when a hero springs a trap. Making a successful check usually means that the hero has escaped the trap. but each card explains how each Ability Check works. There is also a line on the cards that tells how much damage the traps cause. Special Items Cards There are I 0 cards in the Special Items Deck. The cards describe interesting objects that call for a roll of I d6 to see what happens when a hero picks up the object or even looks at it. These items are the spice of the game because you never know what will happen when you find them. Equipment Cards There are 30 of these cards. Each equipment card shows an item that heroes might take with them to explore a dungeon. Some equipment cards are weapons, some are armor or shields. and others are useful things like rope or a backpack. Many of the equipment cards are for weapons. These cards have three information lines on them: Size, Damage, and Range. Size A weapon's size can limit the type of hero who can use it. For example. fighters are the only heroes who can use large weapons and wizards can use only smau weapons. See the "Heroes" section (pages 13-17) to learn which weapons each type of hero can carry. Damage This line tells you how much damage the weapon causes when it hits. Don't forget to add any Strength adjustments to the die roll. Range This line tells how close or far away you can be from a monster in order to use each weapon. Those with a range of I can be used only in close combat. Weapons with a range larger than one can be used from as many spaces away as the number printed on the card. For example. a short bow can be fired at a monster up to 12 spaces away. Some weapons. like spears and daggers. can be used in both close and ranged combat. When a weapon can be used in either type of combat. then there are two ranges listed on the card. Treasure Cards There are 30 of these cards. They show the valuable objects and magical items that the heroes can find as they explore dungeons. The Dungeon Master's Screen The cover of the Rule Book also serves as a Dungeon Master's Screen. The Dungeon Master stands the screen up between himself and the players so that no one can see any of the secret information that only he knows. There are also some handy tables on the inside of the screen. There is a chart that guides you through the steps of each turn. Once you've read the rules. you can just glance at this chart and you'll always know what comes next right away. There's also a table that shows you weapon ranges and damages. for quick reference in combat. and a table that helps you figure out attack numbers quickly and easily. 11

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15 Alignments Alignments are just a fancy way of saying whether a hero or monster is good or evil. Heroes usually have a good alignment while monsters usually have an evil one. There are three alignments in the DRAGON QUEST"' game. Good Most heroes are good. Good heroes always try to tell the truth. help other people. and do the right thing. They explore dungeons and fight monsters to protect nearby towns and villages from harm. Neutral Some heroes are neutral. Neutral heroes explore dungeons and fight monsters in order to gain treasure and fame. They are more concerned with fun and glory than good heroes. A neutral hero stands by his friends in a fight. but may not protect those he does not know. Evil Heroes are never evil. Evil people are selfish and don't obey the law. They do whatever they want, even if it hurts others. They only stick by their friends if there is no risk involved. Heroes often fight evil people and monsters. Monster Alignments Monsters have alignments. just like heroes. Most are evil. some are neutral. and a few are good. It is important for the Dungeon Master to know what a monster's alignment is when playing the game. The action that a monster takes when it sees a hero or group of heroes is based mostly on its alignment. As an example. let's say a group of heroes is exploring a dungeon when they meet a goblin. Goblins are evil. so they would probably attack the heroes. Let's suppose they met a lizard man instead. Lizard men are neutral. so this monster would probably wait to see what the heroes did. If the heroes did not attack him or bother him. the lizard man would probably leave them alone. Finally. let's suppose they met a gold dragon. Most dragons are evil or neutral. but gold dragons are good. As long as the heroes did not attack him. the dragon would certainly not attack them. If the heroes asked for his help. the dragon might even do something for them. More information on monsters and their reactions to heroes is found in the Monster Reaction Tuble (page 22). The Heroes In the real world, everyone has a job, a hobby. or something else that lets us know what he does. I am a writer. my wife is a teacher. and you might be a student. a lawyer. or an artist. In the world of the DRAGON QUEST adventure game, people have jobs too. These jobs are known as classes, and they are very important. There are eight classes to choose from in the DRAGON QUEST adventure game. The first four of them are for humans-people like you and me. The other four are for fantastic races like dwarves and elves. called demihumans. Unless a player knows for sure what kind of hero he wants to play, it's a good idea to play different classes from adventure to adventure. Sooner or later. most players find that a certain class really suits their own personality, and then they'll play that kind of character most of the time. Human Classes Humans in the DRAGON QUEST adventure game are much like the people in our own world. Because the characters used by the players are heroes. they tend to be a bit above average, though. After all. the average person wouldn't last too long fighting a horde of goblins. would he? The four human classes are the fighter, the rogue. the wizard, and the cleric. You'll find descriptions of the human classes on pages I 4 and 15. Demihuman Classes The world of the DRAGON QUEST adventure game is full of wonderful and fantastic heroes. As we have just seen. many of them are fairly normal people like you and me. Others. however. are strange and mysterious. These are the demihumans. A player can choose to have a demihuman hero if he wishes. The three demihuman classes are the elf, the dwarf. and the halfllng. You 'll find descriptions of each of these characters on pages 16 and

16 Fighters Fighters are humans who have trained long and hard for battle. They are more powerful than other heroes in combat. Some are mighty knights who wear heavy armor and carry great weapons. Others are rough barbarians. savages who depend upon brute strength to solve their problems. Fighters generally lead the way into unknown dungeons so that they can protect the rest of the heroes from monsters and traps. If there are enough fighter heroes in an adventuring group, it's a pretty good idea to have one of them stay at the rear of the party in case any monsters try to attack from behind. Fighters can use any weapon that they want. wear any kind of armor. and use a shield to protect themselves. The highest Ability score of fighter heroes is almost always their Strength score. They don't have any spell casting abilities. but they often have magical weapons and armor. Only fighters can use large weapons. Fighters are good for more than just fighting, too. Since they're usually the strongest heroes in the group, they can be called upon to do things like break down doors that are stuck or locked. or even bend the bars of a cage to help a friend escape. Rogues Rogues are humans who live by their wits and speed. Rogue heroes are wandering adventurers who seek fun and wealth wherever they go. Rogues sometimes lead the way into unknown areas. using their keen wits to watch for traps and tricks that might be too much for other heroes. Rogues are not very good in combat. Although they can use any small or medium weapon that they want. they cannot carry a shield or use any kind of armor except leather. Rogues have no magical spells. but they do have a special ability that can make them very important to a group of heroes. Whenever a player with a rogue hero wishes, he can announce that his hero is searching for traps. Only rogue characters can do this. Searching for traps requires the hero to make an Ability Check (see page 20) on his Dexterity. If he succeeds. he finds any traps in the spaces that his hero is in or next to. If the rogue wishes, he can also disarm the trap so that it is no longer dangerous. To do so. he has to make another Ability Check on his Dexterity. On the other hand, if the rogue fails either roll, he sets the trap off! 14

17 Wizards Wizards are humans who have studied the ancient and almost forgotten art of magic. They fight monsters with powerful spells. Some wizards are dark and mysterious people who explore dungeons in search of lost knowledge. and others are carefree travelers who wonder at the world around them. Wizards make rather poor fighters. They spend most of their free time studying old books. looking for new magical spells and ways to improve the magic that they already know. They don't have much time to think about hand-to-hand combat. so they depend upon fighters and other heroes to protect them while they cast their magic. They can only use small weapons in combat. Wizards never wear armor or carry shields. These things are so heavy that they make it difficult to cast spells. which a wizard must keep his hands free to do. Wizard magic can cause much woe to monsters. Before each adventure begins. a wizard hero is allowed to pick one or more spell cards from the Wizard Spells Deck. The number of cards that a wizard gets is equal to his level (see page 28. " Moving Up in the World" ) plus his Intelligence adjustment (see page 6). During the game. he uses these spells to protect the party and fight monsters. Clerics Clerics travel the world in search of wisdom and knowledge. They often belong to a group of clerics, called an Order. who believe and practice the same things. They strictly follow the rules of their Order and often try to set an example for others. Many clerics are fatherly people who take care of those less fortunate than themselves. Others are traveling in search of some ancient and sacred relic or in an attempt to spread the teachings of their Order. Clerics seldom lead the way into new places. but they can fight fairly well if they have to. They usually let fighters lead the charge against enemy forces. but they aren't as easy to hurt as wizards. so they aren't afraid to fight. too. if they must. Clerics can use medium or small weapons. They can wear any kind of armor, and use a shield to protect themselves. Cleric magic is mostly helpful-it can help the group fight better or heal a hero when he is sick or injured. Before each adventure begins. a cleric hero is allowed to pick one or more spell cards from the Cleric Spells Deck. The number of cards that a cleric gets is equal to his level (see 28, "Moving Up in the World" ) plus his Wisdom adjustment (see page 6). 15

18 ) The DRAGON QUEST Adventure Game Elves Elves are a wonderful and beautiful people. They are slender and very fair skinned. Their eyes are soft in color and seem to shimmer with knowledge. Elves live in the wilderness and enjoy nature. They love all manner of plants and animals, taking great pride in the beauty of the lands in which they live. Elves are sort of a cross between a fighter and a wizard. They mainly act like fighters. so they like to be either at the front or the rear of the party while it explores dungeons. However, they can cast a spell or two as well. Elves can wear leather or chain mail armor. They can use shields if they like and may use any small or medium weapon. Elves are masterful archers. Whenever an elf is using a bow in combat. he gains a special bonus of + I to his attack and damage rolls (see page 6, " Ability Adjustments"). Before each adventure begins. an elf hero is allowed to pick one or more spell cards from the Wizard Spells Deck. The number of cards that an elf gets is equal to his level (see page 28, "Moving Up in the World" ) plus his Intelligence adjustment. Players with elf heroes must wait to pick their spells until after all of the wizard heroes have picked theirs. Since elves practice both fighting and magic. they are not as good at either as human heroes. Dwarves Dwarves are a proud and noble race. They are very short. with skin the color of the earth and eyes as black as coal. They are often quiet and stubborn, but they are very loyal to any friend they make. Dwarves love to work in stone and build great cities in caverns underneath the mountains of the world. Because of their love of metal and stone, dwarves will not wear leather armor. They wear chain mail, plate mail. or no armor at all. Dwarves often carry shields to improve the protection offered by their armor. Dwarves can use any small or medium weapon. They seldom use swords. however-they'd rather fight with axes and hammers. Because dwarves are expert craftsmen. it is difficult to hide secret doors and compartments from them. They are experts at finding everything from a false bottom in a treasure chest to a hidden entrance in a wall. A player with a dwarf hero may have his character search for secret doors at any time. When he does, he must make an Ability Check (see page 20) on his hero's Wisdom. When a dwarf searches for secret doors. he is assumed to search the space he is in and every space next to it. If there is a door or panel to find and the dwarf succeeds at the check. he notices it. The Dungeon Master tells the player that his dwarf has spotted a hidden door. 16

19 HaHlings Halflings look like a cross between dwarves and elves. They are short. like dwarves. but slender and fair like elves. They are a cheerful people who spend most of their lives in search of good company. good food, and a comfortable place in which to enjoy them both. Halflings can wear leather or chain mail armor, but they find plate mail to be heavy and uncomfortable for them. They are free to use a shield if they like. Because they are small like dwarves, yet not very strong, they can use only small weapons. Halflings are very good with slings. Whenever they use these weapons. they gain a + I bonus to their Attack and Damage Rolls. When a halfling hero is in a dungeon, he may attempt to hide whenever he likes. When a player announces that his halfling is going to hide, he must make an Ability Check (see page 20) on his Dexterity. If he succeeds. he finds a good place to hide and vanishes from sight. When he is hidden, the halfling cannot move, talk. or do anything else that would give away his hiding place. Any monsters that have already seen the halfling are still able to see him. Newly placed monsters. however. will not see the halfling and cannot attack him. Getting the Heroes Ready After the players understand what their heroes must do. they need to get ready for the adventure ahead of them. Picking Spells There are three classes of heroes-wizards, elves, and clerics-that have the ability to use magical spells. As each character picks a spell. he takes the card that describes it and places it with his hero card. The number of spells that a wizard or elf can pick is equal to his level (see page 28. " Moving Up in the World" ) plus his Intelligence adjustment (see page 6). In other words. a I st-level wizard or elf with a + I Intelligence adjustment (see the back of the wizard hero card) would be able to pick two spells. The number of spells that a cleric can pick is equal to his level plus his Wisdom Adjustment. A I st-level cleric with a + I Wisdom adjustment (see the back of the cleric hero card) would get to pick two spells. Wizards and Clerics Wizards and clerics choose their spells first. Wizards can only pick spells from the Wizard Spells Deck and clerics can only pick spells from the Cleric Spells Deck. If two wizards or clerics want the same spell card. the OM tells them both to roll I d6. Whoever rolls the highest number gets that spell and the other player must pick another. Elves Elves choose their spells last. Elves use wizard spells. but they generally are not as good with magic as wizards. Because of this. elf heroes must wait until after all of the wizard heroes have picked their spells before they can choose theirs. Picking Equipment Next. the heroes have to decide what equipment they will take with them into the dungeon. Each hero begins his first game with the equipment listed on his card. As the hero explores dungeons and collects treasure cards. he can buy more things to help him survive. Each treasure card that a player has can be traded for one item of equipment either before the hero enters the dungeon or after he returns from exploring it. Each hero can carry two items besides those that are listed on his hero card. unless one of those items is a backpack, satchel, or a pouch belt (from the Equipment Deck)-those items let a hero carry even more things. A hero cannot buy new equipment while in a dungeon. 17

20 Setting Up the Game There are a few things that need to be done before you can begin to play the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game. Just follow through the steps in this section and you'll be playing before you know it! Picking a DUNGEON MASTER The first thing that you must do when getting ready to play the DRAGON QUEST adventure game is pick a Dungeon Master (also called a OM"'). All of the other players play the roles of heroes in the game. but not the DM. The Dungeon Master is like a referee. The DM's most important job is helping everyone else follow the rules of the game. The DM also controls all of the monsters that the heroes must fight. While the other players are pretending to be one person. the DM pretends to be every creature that they meet! Many people think that being a DM is the most fun part of the game. From now on. we will use the word player to mean people who are running heroes and Dungeon Master or OM to mean the player who runs the monsters and the game. Picking a Hero The Dungeon Master's first job is to help the players pick their heroes. He does this by taking the hero cards and showing them to the players. Each of the players picks the hero that he wants to play in the game. After a player has chosen his hero. he takes the cardboard fold-up or figure that matches it. He uses this to mark where his hero is on the board. If two players want the same hero. the DM asks them each to roll I d6. The player with the highest roll gets that hero. The other player then picks another hero. Laying Out The Board Next. the Dungeon Master opens the game board and lays it out on the table where all the players can see it. It is important that it be easy for all the players to reach the board so that they can move their heroes. Setting the Stage Once the board is in place, the Dungeon Master turns to the " Player Introduction" section of the adventure that he is going to run from the Adventure Book. This tells the players what their heroes are attempting to do in the dungeon. 18

21 Starting the Game Once the set-up work has been done. it's time to start playing the DRAGON QUEST adventure game. Read the boxed text in the " Player introduction" and the adventure begins! The First Room The Adventure Book tells the DM where on the board the heroes begin. He points out this room to the players and reads the boxed description under "Exploring the Dungeon" in the Adventure Book. Placing the Heroes After the DM has told the players what their heroes see. they can place their hero figures anywhere in the room. It doesn't really matter who goes first at this point. but no hero can be placed in the same square as another hero. If two players want to put their heroes in the same space. the DM tells them both to roll I d6. Whoever rolls the higher number gets to place his hero there. The other player must pick another space for his hero. The best way to decide where to put your hero is to first think of what's best for the whole group. Heroes have to work together in order to survive the deadly dangers of the dungeon. and part of that cooperation is in setting up the marching order of the heroes so that everyone has the best chance to use their talents. There should almost always be at least one fighter leading the group. If there are three or more fighters. including elves and dwarves. in the group. then it's a good idea to have one of them walk at the rear of the group. Monsters sometimes try to sneak up from behind! Elves are good heroes to stay at the back because they're so good with the bow and arrow. When the heroes encounter hostile monsters. the elves can shoot arrows from the back of the group. Dwarves like to walk in front because they are always ready for a good fight. Wizards should try to stay in the middle of the group. where they'll be protected by others. They mustn't be interrupted while casting a spell or it will be ruined. so it's a good idea to keep them as far from the swinging swords as possible. Rogues and halflings tend to range out to the sides of the group. looking for traps, secret doors. and the like. Sometimes. they may scout ahead of the party. using their hiding skills to spy out the path ahead. At the first sign of trouble. though. they'll either hide or run back to the rest of the heroes. There's safety in numbers. after all! Clerics go wherever they're needed. If there are not many fighters in the party. then they can fill that role. Otherwise. they tend to stay near the wizards. where they can cast their spells. too. 19

22 Adventuring Play in the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game is broken into turns, just as it is in most other games. When every hero (and every monster) has taken one action, then the turn is over and the next can begin. Every turn is made up of several steps, described below and outlined on the DM screen for quick reference. Just take them step by step and before long you'll be racing through the sequence. 1. The Wandering Monster Check The first thing that can happen in a turn is called a Wandering Monster Check. The DM rolls I d6. If the roll is a 6. then a monster has wandered by and spotted the heroes. It is not necessary to roll for a wandering monster in every turn. If the heroes are getting weak from too much fighting, it's a good idea to skip the Wandering Monster Check. Each adventure provides the Dungeon Master with a list of possible wandering monsters. When the DM rolls a 6 on the Wandering Monster Check. he can shuffle the wandering monster cards and pick one or he can just use the monster that he likes best. Once the DM knows what kind of monster has appeared. he puts together the stand-up (or stand-ups, if there is more than one) and places the monster(s) on the game board. He also takes the monster card that describes the wandering monsters and places it where he can see it. The DM can place the monster stand-ups where he wants, but he should place them near doors. That way, it looks like the monsters have just stepped into view and didn't just pop in from thin air. The DM then describes the monster(s) to the hero players. He can show them the picture of the creature on the monster card, too. Wandering monsters never have any treasure. If a wandering monster has appeared, the DM can skip right to Step 3. That section of the rules tells the DM exactly what to do. If no wandering monster appears. then go on to Step What's In Here? When there are no monsters to fight. the heroes are free to do whatever they like. The DM asks the players what their heroes are doing. The simplest way to do this is to start with the player on the DM's left or right and then work around the table until everyone has had a chance to take an action. After each of the heroes has had a chance to tell the DM what his hero is doing, the DM helps them to figure out what the results of their actions were. There are several hero actions that are fairly common at this point. Let's take a look at them: A. Exploring New Areas If the heroes have moved into an area of the dungeon that is new to them. the DM needs to describe it to them. Usually this just means reading the boxed text in the Adventure Book that describes their new location. Sometimes the players want more information than the Adventure Book provides. The DM should answer their questions with his imagination. doing his best to picture the scene in his mind and explain it clearly. Before long, most DMs learn to make up answers to the players' questions without a pause. Encourage the heroes to explore (making Ability Checks on their Wisdom) so they don't miss anything. (Remember that only dwarves can find secret doors and only rogues can find traps, unless the Adventure Book says otherwise.) B. Player Discoveries Often, a player's action is an attempt to discover something. Only the DM knows, from the Adventure Book, where everything is. If a die roll is needed. either the DM makes it or he tells the player to make it. If the roll succeeds. the DM then tells the player what his hero has found. If the roll fails. the DM should say something like " You find nothing," even if something is there. C. Making Ability Checks Sometimes players want their heroes to do something that is very difficult. like jumping across a pool of boiling lava or breaking open a locked door. In order to find out if a hero has been successful at whatever he tried to do, the DM asks the player to make an Ability Check. When he does this, the DM decides which Ability the hero needs to use in order to complete the task. and then he tells the player to make the check on that Ability score. If the hero wants to lift a heavy rock, he would have to make an Ability Check on his Strength. If the hero wants to read some writing in an ancient language, an Ability Check on his Intelligence would be in order. Making an Ability Check is very easy. When a player is asked to do this, he rolls I d20. If the number that he rolls is the same as or less than the Ability score that he was making the check on, he has been successful. D. Encounters Often, the actions taken by the heroes results in an encounter. Usually this means that they have met a monster and must fight him, but sometimes it means that they have come across creatures that turn out to be peaceful or even friendly. If a monster is not encountered, then the turn is over and the next one can begin. If a monster is encountered, then stop all actions and go right on to Step 3. 20

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24 3. Monsters! The DM begins an encounter by telling the players exactly what their heroes see. This is when he places the figures for the monsters on the board and shows the card with the monster's picture on it to the players. Don't let the players see the back of the monster card, though! It tells you everything the monster can and can't do, and that information is strictly for the DM! If the encounter is a result of the Wandering Monster Check that began the turn. some of these things already may have been done. 4. Checking For Surprise When a group of heroes meets a monster in the dungeon. there is a chance that someone will be surprised. Surprised monsters (or heroes) are easier to attack and can sometimes be defeated very quickly. When the heroes first see a monster (usually when the DM places the monster figure on the board) both sides must roll for surprise. One of the players rolls I d6 for the heroes. A roll of I or 2 means that the heroes have been surprised. If the heroes are surprised. they cannot do anything for one turn. This means that the monsters might get a free attack on them. At the same time that the player is rolling for surprise. the DM rolls for the monsters. Again. a roll of I or 2 means that the monsters are surprised. Surprised monsters cannot do anything for one turn. This means that the heroes might get a free attack against the monster. It is possible for both the heroes and monsters to be surprised. If that happens. both sides just stand there stunned for a few seconds and then continue with the encounter. 5. Friend or Foe? Usually the DM knows what is going to happen in a given encounter. A group of heroes exploring an ancient tomb might come across a group of zombies. If the monsters have been ordered to guard the tomb against intruders. they will attack the heroes. It doesn't matter what the heroes do or say-they will be forced to defend themselves anyway. Sometimes. however. the DM might not be sure what will happen in an encounter. In order to figure out what the monsters do, the DM rolls I d6 and checks the Monster Reaction Tuble, which is at the top of the next column. Monster Reaction Tuble ld6 Monster's Alignment Roll Good Neutral Evil I Help Help Help 2 Help Help Wait 3 Help Wait Wait 4 Wait Wait Attack 5 Wait Attack Attack 6 Attack Attack Attack Help: The monster will be friendly and help the heroes if asked to do so. Wait: The monster will wait and watch to see what the heroes do first. Attack: The monster will attack the heroes on sight. 6. Hero Reactions Next. the players tell the DM what their heroes are doing. An action can be just about anything, like " My hero attacks the monster" or " My hero casts a spell.'' The most common choices are described below. If a player wants his hero to do something that is not on this list. the DM thinks about the situation and decides what happens. A. Waiting Sometimes the heroes will wait and see what the monsters do. This is very common when the heroes aren't sure if the monsters are friends or enemies. The DM can then decide what happens. based on what he knows about the monsters or by rolling on the Monster Reaction Tuble. B.Tulking If the heroes try to talk to the monster. the DM can resolve the situation in much the same way that he does if they wait around. If the DM is unsure how the monster will react. he always can use the Monster Reaction Table. C. Hiding Sometimes the heroes may not want to have anything to do with the monsters that they have encountered. When this happens. the heroes may try to hide from the monsters. Some heroes-halflings especially-are very good at hiding. Also. magic spells like invisibility can enable the heroes to avoid monsters they don't want to fight. If the party just tries to hide. the DM has to consider how good the monster's senses are and how interested it is in searching for the heroes. 22

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26 D. Running Away Some heroes may try to run away from a monster that is too tough for them to fight. This can be a very good idea if the group is weak from other fights or if the monster is very strong. If the DM is not sure whether or not the monster will chase them. he can use the Monster Reaction Tuble. E. Fighting More often than not, heroes want to fight the monsters that they encounter while exploring the dungeon. Even when the heroes don't want to fight. the monsters may still attack them. In either case. combat is explained below. 7. Rolling For Initiative Now that the DM knows how the monsters are reacting to the heroes. it's time to roll for Initiative. " Initiative" (in-ish-ee-a-tiv) is just a fancy word for saying "who goes first." The Initiative roll decides the order in which everybody gets to take their turn. In any encounter. it is very important to know who gets to act first. Even if either the monsters or the heroes don't want to fight. the one who moves first often decides whether or not there's going to be a battle. To determine who goes first. each of the players rolls Id I 0 and adds his hero's Dexterity adjustment to the total. For instance. if a hero with a I 5 Dexterity ( + I adjustment) rolls a 7. he would have an initiative score of (7 + I) 8. At the same time. the DM rolls Id I 0 for the monsters. Each of the heroes usually will have a different initiative score. but all of the monsters have the same one. so all of the monsters move at the same time. The DM can move the monsters in any order he likes. After everyone has rolled. the hero or monster with the highest initiative score gets to act first. After he is finished. the hero or monster with the second highest score moves. and so on. If two heroes or a hero and the monsters have the same scores. their players roll for initiative again to decide which of them moves first. 8. Ready For Combat? Heroes spend much of their time fighting monsters. Combat is one of the most important parts of the DRAGON QUEST"' adventure game. If all the players have rolled for initiative and a fight is going to break out. then the DM needs to prepare the field for battle and the heroes need to make some last-minute decisions. A. Setting the Stage As combat begins. the DM makes sure that every hero and monster is properly positioned on the game board. B. Hero Choices When it is a hero's (or a monster's) turn to act. he has several options. The most common ones are close combat, ranged combat, or magical combat. Heroes may also try to run away, hide, or dodge. Close Combat Close combat is any attempt to hit a monster with a hand-held weapon. It is possible only when the enemies are in spaces that touch each other. Only weapons that have a range of I can be used in close combat. Weapons that have their ranges marked with an asterisk(*) cannot be used in close combat. A hero with no weapon can still attack in close combat with his fists (I d4 damage). Heroes with high Strength scores do best in close combat. Ranged Combat Ranged combat is any fighting with a weapon that works at a distance. like a bow. thrown spear. or sling. It is possible only when the enemies are in spaces that do not touch each other. Only weapons that have ranges greater than I can be used in ranged combat. Heroes with high Dexterity scores do best in ranged combat. Magical Combat Not all heroes are able to cast magical spells. However. there are magical treasures that work like spells. Fighters. dwarves. halflings, and rogues can use these treasures. too. so it's possible for any hero to engage in magical combat at some time. Heroes who have a magical treasure that allows them to cast spells can use these objects at any time. When a hero casts a spell, his player gives the card for that spell to the DM. He cannot use it again in the game. Wise heroes often hold back their spells until they have no other choice but to cast them. Running Away Once battle has begun. the heroes may decide that the monsters are too tough for them. If a hero tries to run away while he is in close combat. the monster gets a free swing at him with a + 2 bonus on its attack roll. The DM can decide whether or not the monsters will chase the fleeing heroes. based on what he knows about the monsters. He also can use the Monster Reaction Tuble if he's not sure what they'll do. If the monsters decide to chase the heroes. the DM compares the Move ratings of the heroes and the monsters to see who's faster. 24

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28 Hiding Some heroes may decide to slip into the shadows in the middle of a fight. especially if they have been badly injured. To get away with this. the hero must first finish off the monster he has been fighting and then try to hide while no monster is looking at him. This may be very hard to do. The OM has to decide if the hero was successful. based on the situation. Dodging If a hero has been badly injured before all the monsters are killed. he may not be able to run away or hide. He can still try to keep himself alive. though. by dodging for the rest of the turn or battle. A hero who wants to dodge must say so at the beginning of the turn. From that point on. he is assumed to be using all of his energy just to duck out of the way of enemy attacks. As a result. his Armor Class improves (goes down) by 4. C. The Battle Begins! Once the swords start swinging. the OM and the players follow through the steps described below. This is the part of the game where the dice really start to roll. Many players like this part of the DRAGON QUEST"' game the best. Just follow the steps. one by one. and an exciting battle will spring to life before your eyes! No attack roll is needed for the casting of magic spells. When a spell-casting hero's turn comes. his spell simply goes off. Remember. once a hero casts a spell. it disappears from his memory whether it worked or not. I. Check the Attacker's Fighting Score Every hero or monster card has a Fighting score on it. This is a measure of the character's skill in combat. A lower Fighting score is better than a high one. The first step in combat is checking the Fighting score of the hero or monster making the attack. 2. Check the Defender's Armor Class The next number that you need to know for combat is the Armor Class of the target. For heroes. Armor Class is based upon the type of armor that the hero is wearing. For monsters. it is based on how tough their hide is and how fast they are. 3. Find the Attack Number The attack number is the number that must be rolled on I d20 in order for an attack to succeed. To figure out the attack number in any fight. subtract the Armor Class of the target from the Fighting score of the attacker. For example. if a hero with a Fighting score of 19 attacks a monster with an Armor Class of 8. his attack number is ( 19-8) I I. 4. Make the Attack Roll Once the attack number is known. the player (or OM) rolls the d20 and reads the number on it. If the attack roll is a 20. the attack always hits. no matter what the attack number was. If the attacker rolls a 20. you can immediately skip down to step 8. " Causing Damage: If the attack roll is a I. the attack always misses. no matter what the attack number was. If the attacker rolls a one. his turn is over. If the attack roll is neither a I nor a 20. go on to the next step. 5. Add In the Ability Adjustments Some heroes are better than others in combat. This is reflected through the use of their Ability adjustments. In close combat. heroes apply their Strength adjustments to the attack roll. For instance. if a hero with a + 2 Strength adjustment has an attack roll of 12. then he adds his + 2 bonus to that for a total of 14. In ranged combat. heroes apply their Dexterity adjustments to the attack roll. For instance. if a hero with a + 2 Dexterity adjustment rolls an attack roll of 9. then he gets to add + 2 to that roll for a total of I I. 6. Add In Any Other Adjustments Magical weapons and spells also add to a hero's skill in combat. A magical sword. for example. might be called a sword + 2. This " + 2" is applied to the attack roll just as if it were a Strength adjustment. For example. if a hero with a + 2 Strength adjustment and a sword + 2 gets a 14 on his attack roll. he gets to add + 2 for his Strength and + 2 for his weapon. giving him a grand total of 18! Some hero classes gain a bonus to their attack rolls when using some types of weapons. For instance. elves add I to their rolls when they use bows and halflings add I when they use slings. 7. Hit or Miss? If the final total for the attack roll is less than the attack number. then the attack misses. The attacker's turn is over. If the adjusted roll is equal to or greater than the attack number. however. the weapon finds its mark. In this case. the monster or hero that was attacked is going to be injured by the blow. 26

29 8. Causing Damage The amount of damage that an attack causes depends upon the type of weapon used in the attack. The damage done by a weapon can be found on the equipment cards. A sword. for example, causes I d8 points of damage. In dose combat, a hero adds his Strength adjustment to the damage that he causes. In ranged combat, a hero adds his Dexterity adjustment to the damage that he causes. Magical weapons and spells can also add to the amount of damage that a hero does in combat. A battle axe + 2. for instance. allows a hero to add + 2 to his damage roll. just as it did to his attack roll. Some hero classes have advantages when using certain weapons. Halflings. for example. gain a + I bonus when using slings while elves gain the same bonus when using bows. 9. Recording Damage The number of damage points caused by an attack is subtracted from the hit points of the target. For instance. If an ore with 5 hit points is hit for 3 points of damage, then he has only 2 hit points left. A hero or monster who still has hit points left is alive and able to act normally. Thus. a hero can take damage from an attack and still be able to fight. A hero that is reduced to 0 hit points falls unconscious. He can no longer move or take any actions until someone casts a cure spell upon him. A monster that is reduced to 0 hit points is assumed to have been killed and is removed from play. If a hero has less than 0 hit points, he is dying. If none of his friends can help him before three turns go by, he dies. In other words. everyone has three chances to finish whatever they are doing and then go to the dying hero's aid. Anyone can put bandages on the dying hero. which immediately puts him at 0 hit points and keeps him from dying. The unconscious hero will still need a healing potion poured down his throat or a cure spell cast on him before he can wake up and fight again. If there are no cure spells or healing potions left. the heroes may be forced to leave the dungeon and come back after everyone has rested and learned more spells. Also. the DM can cleverly place a healing potion or two on the body of a slain monster or someplace where the heroes will find it after the battle is over. Even if a dying hero's friends are too busy fighting to help him and he dies. he can still be saved with the right magic. A dead hero can still be brought back to life if someone casts a revive spell upon him. I 0. Back to Initiative After the hero or monster that won the initiative roll takes his turn. play moves to the next hero. This continues until each hero and monster takes a turn. If there are still monsters left alive at that time, go back to "Rolling For Initiative" (page 24). Keep repeating these steps until all of the monsters have been killed or until all of the heroes have been defeated. 9. After the Battle If the heroes lose the battle. the adventure is over. but that hardly ever happens. On the other hand. some heroes will probably be hurt and others may even be dying. Once the monsters are killed. the heroes will want to take some time to save dying comrades and heal damage. They may also want to check the bodies of dead monsters to see if they can find anything valuable. If the party is badly hurt. the DM can tell them that some of the monsters have a bottle of Kur's Drink (from the 'Ii"easure Deck on them. That way. the adventure can continue when the heroes have taken a real beating. I 0. Onward, Heroes! The heroes may want to keep exploring the room they're in or move on to the next. Ask them what they want to do and then go back to Step I. 27

30 Moving Up in the World The more a hero adventures. the more experience he gains. Fighters learn more about swinging the sword. wizards and clerics learn more spells. and everybody gets a little bit tougher all around. It's a bit like making it to the next level of a video game. Of course, the monsters that the heroes meet and f!ght will get tougher and deadlier. too. The adventuring hfe never gets much easier. but it is always very exciting. When a player has successfully guided his hero character through one adventure. that hero gains an experience level. In game terms. that means that several of each hero's numbers will change. If a player keeps the same hero when playing another game in the Adventure Book, he should take a pencil and make the following changes on his hero card: I. When a hero advances to the next experience level. his fighting number goes down by I. making it easier to hit monsters. This reflects the heroes' growing combat skills. 2: Since the hero has learned a lot about defending himself from attack, he should be harder to kill with each added experience level. To reflect this idea in the game, we give the hero more hit points. In the human classes. fighters add 8 hit points to their totals. wizards gain another 4 hit points. and rogues and clerics add another 6 hit points to their totals. In the demihuman classes. dwarves add 8 hit points to their totals while elves and halflings gain another 6 hit points to their totals. 3. Spellcasters grow more skilled at their crafts, too. With each advance to a higher experience level. all wizards. clerics. and elves may carry another spell. (Don't forget the bonus spells that come from high Intelligence or Wisdom scores!) Some players will want to use a different hero when they go on to the next adventure. Others wij.i want to keep the hero that they have. There's no problem with that. It just means that some heroes will be at the 1 st level of experience while others may be at the 2nd or 3rd level. Perhaps the group will have to take extra care to be sure that the I st-level heroes aren 't killed in a tough battle. Perhaps it will be necessary to carry an extra cure spell. These kinds of little problems are part of what makes playing the DRAGON QUEST"' game so interesting and fun. As long as the heroes work together. they'll prove to be a match for anything! 28

31 Being a Good DM This could be the most important part of the DRAGON QUEST'" adventure game. If the DM knows his job and does it well. everyone has a great time. In order to help new Dungeon Masters out. here's a list of useful tips. Practice Makes Perfect How do you become a good DM. one that players enjoy adventuring with and who enjoys the game himself? Well. there's nothing that experience won't teach you! Play a few games to get your feet wet. Don't worry about making mistakes. One of the nicest things about the DRAGON QUEST game is that it works the best when everybody cooperates. Encourage the heroes to always work together and to work with you. too. Pay attention to what the players like and adjust the way you run the game to make it better for them. If the players have fun. the DM will have fun. and vice versa. Fairness In a game where almost anything can happen, there are bound to be times when the players disagree. Therefore. it's very important to have one person who always has the final say about the rules. This tough job belongs to the Dungeon Master. If one of the players begins to argue over the rules or the results of an action, the DM should listen to his argument and consider it carefully. In the end. if the DM still thinks the player is wrong. then he should politely say. " I understand your point. but I'm going to have to rule against you this time. Let's get back to the game, and everyone remember how I use this rule." A good DM never makes monsters attack a hero whose player has disagreed with him. Always be fair to your players. Lf you bash them with unbeatable monsters or confuse them with unsolvable puzzles. they won't enjoy the game. It's okay to give players hints and second chances if they really get lost or just don't know what to do. making his hero do something impossible or really foolish. it's perfectly fair to play the game out the way the rules dictate and let that hero get what's coming to him. Balance the Challenges Try to balance the adventure with the power of the heroes. Players become frustrated if they're constantly being beaten by powerful monsters. On the other hand, they quickly become bored with adventures against little critters that pose no challenge. Also. balance the rewards with the challenges. If the heroes destroy a foe that is far more powerful than they are. the DM can place extra gold and magical treasures in the dungeon. However. defeating smaller monsters that cannot possibly harm the heroes should gain them very little. if anything. Have Fun Remember that beneath all the rules. between pages of maps and tables. and behind the illusion of a fantasy world. the DRAGON QUEST adventure game is just a game. It's you and your friends getting together to have a good time. Keep the game on a positive note and everyone will be better for it! Dice? What Dice? If the dice start to ruin the game. don't use them. Just roll the dice behind the DM's screen and pretend that the result you want has come up-the players will never know. It's okay to make a few decisions without using the dice. especially if it means saving a player's hero from a horrible death or prevents a game from falling apart. Remember. you're in charge and it's your job to see that everyone has fun. Defeat and utter failure aren't fun! Of course. it's also a big mistake to let players get away with anything they want. If a player insists on 29

32 Being a Good Player We've all seen or played a video game where a hero fights all sorts of nasty critters. and most of us have played " Cowboys and Indians" or some other make- believe game when we were younger. Playing the DRAGON QUEST"' game combines these two experiences into one action-packed, great time. Here's a few pointers to get you off to a good start: Cooperate With the DM The players have only one character to play, but the Dungeon Master must pretend to be every person and monster that the players meet. That can really be tough! With all the information that the DM has to keep track of, it's very important for the rest of the players to cooperate with him. If something awful happens to your character. don't blame the OM-he's only doing what the rules call for. It's okay to talk about the way that the rules work when you want your hero to do something extra special or difficult. but remember: the DM always has the final say on whether or not an action works. Depend On Teamwork A hero alone is a hero dead! You explore dungeons in groups because there's safety in numbers and each member of the party has special and useful skills. Together, the heroes are ready to handle any situation. Alone, they're in a lot of trouble! Think Before Acting Heroes explore places where no ordinary person would dare to go, and with good reason. Dungeons are filled with traps. and monsters lurking around the corners, and all sorts of other dangerous stuff. Whenever the heroes are about to enter a new place. they should try to be sure that they're ready to fight. duck, run. hide, or whatever else it takes to survive! Explore Everything Don't assume that a room is empty just because the DM says, " You see nothing." Some of the most valuable treasures are hidden under a loose rock. in this pool of water. under that pile of sludge, or just about any place else you can think of. There also are lots of clues sprinkled around the dungeons that will help the heroes if they take a moment to think about what they have found or seen. For example. if the walls of a dungeon are covered with soot. there might be a fire-breathing dragon somewhere nearby. If the heroes always take an extra turn to really look around. they'll be richer and healthier for it! Play Your Character The game is a lot more fun if you try to imagine what your hero is like. then pretend to be that hero when you play. In fact. the longer you play a certain hero, the more he'll take on a personality of his own. Maybe your hero is afraid of the dark. or maybe he's shy. Is he adventuring because he hates monsters. or because he likes to explore the unknown. or because his mother made him go? It's up to you! Share What You Find When a hero finds something, he should remember that he wouldn't be where the treasure is without the rest of the group. When you find magical items or buy new equipment with found treasure, try to decide which hero can make the best use of the items for the good of the whole group. That way you'll be better prepared to find even more! When more than one player wants the same item for his hero. they should each roll I d6. The player who rolls the highest number gets the item. If there's a tie. roll again. If your hero wins the roll. then you might think about letting someone else have the next magical item that the group finds. Be a Hero Your hero is going to be offered many dangerous jobs. and the more powerful he becomes, the more dangerous the jobs will be. Some heroes get picky about what missions they will accept while others become greedy and only agree to go if they are promised the lion's share of the treasure. Unfortunately. those characters have lost their heroic edge. Being a hero means doing the right thing and taking jobs that don't promise a big payoff. There's going to be treasure wherever your hero adventures. but there's nothing so rewarding as the glory that comes from just being a real hero. Don't Be Mad Sometimes you just can 't get a good die roll when you really need it! There's no need to get mad about it. though. That's just part of the game: things don't always work out the way you hoped they would. The best thing to do when things go wrong is to work it into the story. If your rogue hero keeps setting off traps while trying to remove them. think of yourself as the " clumsy rogue! " If your fighter keeps missing that monster when he swings his sword. then say something like. " I just didn't get a good night's sleep last night. and it sure makes it tough to fight! " 30

33 Index Abilities Ability adjustments Ability Checks Adventure Book I 9 Alignment evil good neutral Armor Class Attack number Attack roll adjustments -Ability , 26 -magical Charisma Classes Cleric Close combat , Constitution Curing (hit points) Damage , Dexterity Dice , 26, 29 Discoveries DM... 4, 18, 29 Dodging Dungeon Master Dwarf I Elf Encounters Encounter reactions hero monster Equipment... I I, I 7 Equipment cards... I I Experience levels. gaining Exploring Fighter Fighting , Fighting score , 26 Game board , 18 Haffling , 13, 17 Healing (hit points) , Hero cards , 18 Hiding , Hit points Initiative Intelligence Magical combat Marching order Monster cards Move (movement rates) Picking a Dungeon Master I 8 Picking a hero Picking equipment I 7 Picking spells I 7 Ranged combat... I I Rogue Running away Searching Weapon size I I Spells... I I. 15, , Spell cards I I Spell range... I I Stand-ups Strength , 27 Surprise Tulking to monster!; Traps , Treasure Waiting Wandering monsters Wisdom... 8 Wizards

34 Hero Name Alignment Class Level I I I Strength D 0 Armor Class l I Intelligence D 0 Hit Points I I Wisdom D 0 Fighting I I Dexterity D 0 Move I I Constitution D 0 Charisma D 0 Advantages Notes Equipment By permission of TSR Inc., this page may be reproduced for personal use only TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

35 WEAPONS CHART MONSTER REACTION TABLE Weapon Size Damage Hand Axe Small ld4 Battle Axe Large ld8 Broad Axe Medium ld6 Dagger Small ld4 Short Sword Small ld6 Sword Medium ld8 TWo-handed Sword Large ldlo Mace Medium ld6 Club Medium ld4 Pole Arm Large ldlo Spear Medium ld6 War Hammer Medium ld8 Sling Small ld4 Short Bow Medium ld6 Long Bow Large ld6 Crossbow Medium ld6 Dart Small I hit point Blessed Water Small ld6.. Greek Fire Small ld6 Elven Sword Medium ld8+ I Storm Hammer Medium ld6+ I Dragon Fang Small ld4+ I Motopua Large ld8+ I Eagle Bow Large ld6+ I Hawk Bow Small ld6+ I Crossbow of Klee Medium ld6+ I Finniginn 's Sling Small ld4+ I Range I or 3 I I I or 3 I I I I I I I or 6 I * I I I or 3 I 18* ld6 Roll I Monster's Alignment Good Neutral Help Help Help Help Help Wait Wait Wait Wait Attack Attack Attack Evil Help Wait Wait Attack Attack Attack ABILITY ADJUSTMENTS Ablllty Score Ablllty Adlustment I Weapons with an asterisk(") after their range number can not be used in close combat. Blessed water damages only undead creatures. THE DICE (All dice have rolled a 4.) The d4 (green) : The dlo (black or white) : The d6 (red): 4 The d 12 (yellow): The d20 (orange):

36